Masonic, Occult and Esoteric Online Library
The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett - 1923
By A. T. Barker
Letter No XXVII
Received Simla, Autumn, 1881.
I foresaw that which now happens. In my Bombay letter I advised you to be prudent as to what you allowed S.M. to learnof + and his own mediumship, suggesting that he should be toldmerely the substance of what I said. When, watching you atAllahabad I saw you making instead copious extracts for him frommy letter, I again saw the danger but did not interfere for severalreasons. One of them is, that I believe the time fully come whensocial and moral safety demands that someone of the Theos. Soc.should speak the truth though the Himalaya fall on him. The unveiling of the ugly truth has to be done with the greatest dis-cretion and caution though ; and I see that instead of gettingfriends and supporters in the camp of the Philistines—whether onthat or this side of the oceans—many of you—yourself with therest—breed but enemies by making too much of me and my per-sonal opinions. On that side, the irritation is great and you willsoon find flashes of it in the Light and elsewhere ; and, you " shalllose S.M." The copious extracts have done their work for they were—much too copious. No powers whether human or super- human can ever open the eyes of S.M. It was—useless to tear them open. On this side—it is still worse. The good people at Simla are not very metaphorically inclined and allegory will no more stick to their epidermis than would water to the feathers of a goose. Besides, —no one likes to be told that he " smells bad " and the joke extracted from a remark but too full of deep psychological meaning has produced incalculable harm in quarters where otherwise, the S.E.T.S. might have recruited more than one convert. ... I must return once more to the letter.
The strongest basis of complaint against me is the fact that my statement implies (a) a kind of challenge to S.M. to prove + a ** Spirit "—(b) I am severely denounced by our friend for making outH—-a liar. Now, I mean to be explanatory but not apologetic. 1 most certainly meant both ; only I meant it for you, who had asked me for the information, by no means for him. He has not proved his case, nor did I expect he would, even if he thought he could, as the claim rests entirely upon his own personal assertion due to his unwavering faith in his own impressions. It would be easy for me, on the other hand, to prove + no disembodied spirit at all, had I not very good reasons for not doing so at present. I had worded my letter very carefully, so, that, while letting you have a glimpse of the truth, I showed you most clearly that I had no right to divulge the " secrets of a Brother." But, my very good friend, I had never told you in so many words who and what he was. I might, perhaps, have advised you to judge + by alleged writings, for more fortunate in that than Job our ** enemies " all " write books." They are very fond of dictating " inspirational " gospels and so—get caught at the glue of their own rhetorics. And who of the most intellectual spiritts. who have read the complete works fathered upon + would dare maintain that with the exceptions of a few extremely remarkable pages the rest is not below what S.M. could have himself written, and far better? Rest assured that no intelligent, clever and truthful medium needs " inspiration " from a disembodied ** Spirit." Truth will stand without inspiration from Gods or Spirits, and better still—will stand in spite of them all; " angels " whispering generally but falsehoods and adding to the stock of superstition.
It is in view of such little unpleasantnesses that I have to abstain from satisfying C.C. Massey. I will not avail myself of his " authority," nor fulfil his " desire," and I refuse most decidedly to " communicate his secret " as it is of a nature which stands in his way for the attainment of adeptship, but has nothing whatever to do with his private character. This information again was meant for you, as an answer to your surprised query whether there could be any impediments for my communicating with him and guiding him to the Light, but it was never intended for hisears. He may have a page or two in his life's history which hewould rather see obliterated ; but, his loyal and faithful instinctwill always give him precedence and place him far above manyaman who remained chaste and virtuous only because he neverknew what temptation was. I will abstain, then, with yourkind permission. In the future, my very dear friend, we willhave to limit ourselves entirely to philosophy and avoid—familygossip. Skeletons in family closets, are at times, more dangerousto meddle with than even—dirty turbans, my illustrious and dearfriend. And let not your too sensitive heart be troubled, or yourimagination lead you to suppose that one single word of whatI have now said is meant to convey a reproach. We, half savageAsiatics judge a man by his motives, and yours were all that is sincere and good. But you have to remember that you are at ahard school, and dealing now with a world entirely distinct fromyour own. Especially have you to bear in mind that the slightestcause produced however unconsciously, and with whatever motive,cannot be unmade, or its effects crossed in their progress—bymillions of Gods, demons, and men combined. Therefore, youmust not think me too hypercritical when I say, that all of youhave been more or less imprudent, when not indiscreet—the latterword applying—so far—but to one of the members. Hence—youwill perhaps see, that the mistakes and blunders of H. SteelOlcott, are of a lighter hue than they at first appear, since evenEnglishmen, far more intelligent and versed in the world's waysthan he is, are as liable to err. For you have erred, individuallyand collectively, as will be made apparent in a very near future; and the management and success of the Society will prove as aresult far more difficult in your case, since none of you is as readyto admit that he has done so, nor are you as prepared as he is, tofollow any advice offered you, though in each case, it is based onforesight of impending events, even when foretold in a phraseology which may not always come ** up to the mark " of the adept—as he should be in accordance with your own views.
You may tell Massey what I now say of him, and the reasongiven. You may—though I would not advise you—read thisletter to Mr. Hume. But I would strongly urge upon you thenecessity of a greater caution than ever. Notwithstanding thepurity of motives, the Chohan might one day consider but theresults, and these may threaten to become too disastrous for himto overlook. There should be a constant pressure brought tobear upon the members of the S.E.S. to keep their tongues andenthusiasm at bay. And yet there is an increasing concern inthe public mind, in regard to your Society and you may soon becalled upon to define your position more clearly. Very soon I will have to leave you to yourselves for the period of three months. Whether it will begin in October or January will depend on the impulse given to the Society and its progress.
I would feel personally obliged to you were you to kindly consent to examine a poem written by Padshah, and give your opinion on his merits. I believe it too long for the Theosophical Journal, nor do its literary merits warrant exactly or justify the claim. However, I leave it to your better judgment. I am anxious that the Journal should be more successful this year than it has heretofore been. The suggestion to translate the Grand Inquisitor is mine ; for its author, on whom the hand of Death was already pressing when writing it, gave the most forcible and true description of the Society of Jesus than was ever given before. There is a mighty lesson contained in it for many and even you might profit by it.
My dear friend, you must not feel surprised if I tell you, that I really feel weary and disheartened at the prospect I have before me. I am afraid you never will have the patience to wait for the day when I am permitted to satisfy you. Ages ago our people began to make certain rules, according to which they intended to live. All these rules have now become Law. Our predecessors had to learn everything they know by themselves, only the foundation was laid for them. We offer to lay for you such a foundation but you will accept nothing short of the complete edifice, ready for you to take possession of. Do not accuse me of indifference or neglect when not receiving for days any reply from me. Very often I have nothing to say, for you ask questions which I have no right to answer. But I must conclude here, as my time is limited and I have some other work to do.
Yours sincerely, K. H.
The brandy atmosphere in the house is dreadful.
